Difficulties in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China

Zhou, Rong-Yi; Ma, Bingxiang; Wang, Jiaojiao

doi:10.1007/s10803-021-04997-8

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In China, about a third of children with ASD are diagnosed at the age of older than 3 years old ( 11 ). Late diagnosis of ASD is associated with shortage of child psychiatrists and pediatricians, inadequate basic awareness of ASD in the general public, incomprehensive early screening of ASD in community, and economic development gap between urban and rural areas ( 12 ). Early diagnosis of ASD is largely depend on high level of awareness and knowledge of ASD by clinicians and parents ( 13 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urgency in Improving Child Health Care Workers' Awareness and Knowledge of ASD: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Study in Southwest China

Zhou²,

Liu

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Objective: To evaluate the levels of awareness and knowledge of ASD among child health care workers in China, we conducted a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study to assess the participants' awareness and knowledge of ASD.Methods: A total of 159 child health care workers from Southwest China participated in the survey and filled out the questionnaire.Descriptive analysis was conducted on the five parts of the questionnaire, including general knowledge, symptomology, screening and diagnosis, and intervention and treatment. Univariate analysis was used to assess impacts of the participants' basic demographic characteristics on the questionnaire scores. Multivariate analysis was used to analyze association of the participants' basic demographic characteristics and the questionnaire scores.Results: Less than 15% of the participants knew that ASD is a developmental, congenital and genetic disorder. Few participants knew that the symptoms include language disorder (38.4%) and social dysfunction (29.6%). A minority of the participants knew the diagnostic criteria (22.6%) and the age for early screening (14.5%). A total of 23.9% of the participants agreed that there are no effective drugs to treat ASD, and 6.3% agreed that ASD is incurable. A number of years in practice of ≥10 (OR = 0.3249, 95% CI: 0.1080–0.9189) was the main factor related to a high questionnaire score.Conclusions: Most participants had relatively low levels of awareness and knowledge of ASD, especially in terms of general knowledge as well as knowledge of intervention and treatment. Working for more than 10 years was a significant predictor of higher levels of awareness and knowledge of ASD. ASD-related training and knowledge dissemination are crucial for the early diagnosis and intervention of ASD. Child health care workers' awareness and knowledge of ASD needs to be improved to help build public awareness about ASD.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urgency in Improving Child Health Care Workers' Awareness and Knowledge of ASD: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Study in Southwest China

Zhou²,

Liu

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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“…The effectiveness of the effects depends on the cooperation of the entire multidisciplinary team, which includes doctors, biologists, therapists, psychologists, pedagogues, speech therapists, teachers, support groups, but above all, parents and a person with ASD (41). Interventions aimed at peer groups also deserve attention, as they complement and constitute a link between the effects developed during therapies defined as effective, and functioning in everyday life (42). Early interventions based on the therapeutic method can improve the functioning of people with ASD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selected Methods of Therapeutic Interactions With People With Mild Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder

et al. 2022

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In this review we present the behavioral aspects of interaction in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), taking into account some aspects of pharmacotherapy. In the treatment of people with ASD, an individual approach to emotional, social and cognitive functioning is very important. The specificity of symptoms and their severity in people with ASD results from deficits/disfunction of various areas of the brain and is associated with different levels of intelligence. This manuscript considers selected methods of interaction with ASD patients with normal IQ. Due to the different ways of functioning, these people often find it difficult to adapt to social expectations. The most important thing is to understand their perception of themselves and the world around them in order to support them in coping with the daily challenges. Due to the increasing problem, more and more attention is being focused on early detection of ASD, what allows to intervene as fast as possible and in consequence affect the quality of life of people with this dysfunctions. However, participants with mild autism symptoms are still difficult to diagnose in the practice. The effectiveness of the therapy depends largely on the cooperation of educational institutions. It is also necessary to contact specialist clinics, including a mental health counseling center. However, in the case of children and adolescents, the cooperation between the therapist and their parents is the basis. Systemic family therapy is also important in adults with ASD. An overview of the methods of therapeutic interactions in ASD, what may be helpful in diagnosing of mild ASD, were presented in our manuscript.

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“…Generally, most patients need to undergo three complex processes: pre-diagnosis, diagnosis and evaluation, and treatment (Figure 1). Unlike diseases such as Down syndrome that can be diagnosed early by prenatal and postpartum chromosomal tests (10), ASD can only be diagnosed via an assessment of abnormal behaviors, which may be not well understood by many Chinese parents or doctors in primary hospitals (11). In addition, the number of doctors cannot meet the ever-increasing demand for care (12), and psychiatrists and psychologists specializing in diagnosing and treating children with ASD are especially in short supply, resulting in a limited capacity for primary care in local hospitals, private practices, and community centers (11).…”

Section: Current Status Of Asd Diagnosis and Treatment In Chinamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike diseases such as Down syndrome that can be diagnosed early by prenatal and postpartum chromosomal tests (10), ASD can only be diagnosed via an assessment of abnormal behaviors, which may be not well understood by many Chinese parents or doctors in primary hospitals (11). In addition, the number of doctors cannot meet the ever-increasing demand for care (12), and psychiatrists and psychologists specializing in diagnosing and treating children with ASD are especially in short supply, resulting in a limited capacity for primary care in local hospitals, private practices, and community centers (11). Consequently, the complexity of ASD and the lack of understanding of the disorder results in an average delay of one year from identification of symptoms to proper treatment (13)(14)(15).…”

Section: Current Status Of Asd Diagnosis and Treatment In Chinamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, the complexity of ASD and the lack of understanding of the disorder results in an average delay of one year from identification of symptoms to proper treatment (13)(14)(15). Although an expert consensus on early screening and intervention for Chinese children with ASD was reached in 2017 (16), early ASD screening has unfortunately not been included in the public health projects of community health service centers, and only a few large cities have implemented such a program through cooperative projects (11).…”

Section: Current Status Of Asd Diagnosis and Treatment In Chinamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autism spectrum disorder: Status of primary care in China

Wang

Luo

et al. 2022

BST

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Primary care serves as the cornerstone to ensure positive health outcomes for diseases. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has attracted more attention as a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder with a prevalence that is increasing yearly. Although the demand for primary care for ASD is rapidly expanding, there are many challenges that need to be faced. Here, the current status of primary care for ASD in China is described. i) Identification of and care for ASD includes pre-diagnosis, diagnosis and evaluation, and treatment; the complexity of the disease and the lack of public understanding increase delays in diagnosis and treatment. ii) Most instruments, which are indispensable for diagnosing and evaluating ASD, are of foreign origin. iii) Treatments for ASD are based on mainstream Western interventions with complementary approaches. iv) The scale of rehabilitation and educational institutions has gradually grown and their expertise has gradually increased but rehabilitation costs are relatively high.

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Difficulties in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

Urgency in Improving Child Health Care Workers' Awareness and Knowledge of ASD: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Study in Southwest China

Urgency in Improving Child Health Care Workers' Awareness and Knowledge of ASD: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Study in Southwest China

Selected Methods of Therapeutic Interactions With People With Mild Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder: Status of primary care in China

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